Lucas (Cold Fury Hockey #8) by Sawyer Bennett

Lucas Fournier is only serious about one thing: hockey. The league’s fun-loving charmer, Luc is always up for a good prank or a great lay, and he has no intention of settling down. But being traded to the Carolina Cold Fury—and to play alongside his big brother, Max—is no joke. With another title in sight, the last thing Luc wants is to let his new teammates down. To succeed, Luc will need to keep his head in the game and the most . . . er, demanding member of his anatomy in check. But when temptation hits, Luc hits back harder.

Museum curator Stephanie Frazier has always put business before pleasure, which just about explains her nonexistent sex life. But when Stephanie meets Luc at a champagne-fueled gala, she finds herself flirting like crazy—and going home with the uninhibited athlete. For one night, she learns what passion is all about. She just never counted on the little surprise Luc leaves behind. And that’s when things really start to get . . . interesting.

Pet's $0.02:

So Lucas and Stephanie. Definitely not your average couple.

Stephanie’s parents should be brought up on charges. The way they raised that girl is just shameful. She has some issues… and I’ll just leave it at that. What I loved about Stephanie is that although she had her issues… she lived. She many not have developed emotional attachments but she had fun. She wasn’t hesitant about trying new things, she found humor in the oddest of places and was just herself. She knew what her hang ups were and she owned them.

Luc also thought he was detached. He has no time for emotion. For involvement. For responsibility. This is all new to him. He’s not sure how to handle it. He comes from a loving family but he thought those kinds of issues were way into the future…he’d deal with them then!

And I was cruising right along with Lucas and Stephanie and I liked how they interacted… right up until they had their first fight and Lucas decides two weeks into their fight to go off the rails.

Now, I get that he was upset. And, that he didn't go through with his plans, but damn it man! That tarnished his whole character for me. At that point he was a douchebag….and that’s a hard place to come back from. He knew what Stephanie’s issues were. He knew how she was raised….he’s just going to throw out some nasty, awful comments and walk away like he’s in the right? Um….NO!

Let’s just say you need this story in the Cold Fury history, but I’m not going to say that I completely loved it and I have to admit that Luc will be forever tarnished for me.